I've never had 24 hours. The only way I've gotten 24 hours is to pay for a 1/2 day for the next day's afternoon.

If you are a member of the hotel chain's frequent stay program they often extend the check-out times - but that depends on how tightly they are booked for that night.

Most maids are released to go home in early afternoon, so they have to keep staff there to clean your room if you stay late - and maids want to get home too

Of course, that is unrealistic (would be nice, but unrealistic). If you check in at 4 and out at 4, the next person wouldn't be able to check in until 6 or 8, then they would want to stay 24 hours, until 6 or 8 the next day, etc.

I've never been denied early checkin when the room is vacant and already made up. Once arrived in Pittsburgh on a redeye and checked in at 8 a.m.

I have been to some Asian hotels and they have a noon-noon check-in times. Unsurprisingly, I often hear people in front of me in the check-in line arguing furiously with the front desk at 12:15p why their room is not ready.

When the 4,000-room Venetian opened in Macau last summer, there were almost riots for the first few days as thousands showed up at exactly noon wanting their room. Venetian ended up offering people a huge discount if they'd check-in after 6pm.

I have a 3 room very busy bed & breakfast. I have no staff but do have an independent contractor cleaner who comes as needed. To maintain her status she has to do other jobs besides mine. Some days, like tomorrow, she will not physically be able to come until around 1:30pm to clean all 3 rooms. My normal check in time is 4pm and check out is 11am. I do have some folks flying in early tomorrow and plan to come around 1:30pm to leave off their luggage and get ideas for lunch places. We do the best we can! Remember, I am the one who sets up the dining area, makes the food, serves the food, chats with the guests, cleans up the dining room & kitchen, answers the phone and strips the rooms to do the laundry. The time between 11am and 4pm comes VERY quickly....if only those cleaning fairies would show up!

Yes, it is normal, and frankly I'm trying to figure out how different it could be. Are you suggesting that if someone could stay until -- let's say 1 PM, and then you want to check in at 2 PM, that the hotel should have enough staff to clean ALL the turnover rooms in one hour?

I've noticed more and more checkout times of 11 AM recently.

The worst experience we had was for a one night stay in Belfast, Ireland at a Jury's Hotel where we knew we would be leaving early in the morning, and arrived early afternoon hoping to check in. We had to keep going back and finally at 7 PM, I nearly exploded when they STILL told me the room wasn't ready. When I sort of made a scene, they worked something out and finally came up with a clean room for us. So this is certainly not a US thing.

Patrick, no, only my room. It should be cleaned first, lol.

I can't remember waiting too long for a room in Europe and I haven't been to a destination hotel in the US for a while as you can tell.

bnbtraveler, I can see how it would be a problem in your case. Where is your B&B?

Just north of Orlando, in Maitland.

Most hotels will allow you to store your luggage before and/or after check in/out times, and bigger properties/resorts allow you to use the rest of the facilities the full day. The resort on Captiva even had showers we could use after the beach! Also, loyalty programs often offer late check out as a member benefit-Priority Club, for example, extends my check out by an hour at Holiday Inn properties. Obviously, a small B & B can't do this, but I've never known one that doesn't offer to store your stuff and advise you on places to see, eat, etc, until your room is ready or it's time to go to the airport.

We stay all over the world and Sofitel are the most generous: If you call ahead you can check in as early as 7.30 (if room available). We've checked out at 5.30 p.m. in New York when we had an evening flight out. No extra charge.

SeaUrchin-When are you coming to Laguna Beach? If you are up for a little GTG, I would be happy to meet you for a drink while you wait for your room (if the day works out). A great place for drink is Las Brisas. I might be gone if you are coming in two weeks as I have to work a convention in San Antonio. But let me know-would love to meet you.

That would be great! Las Brisas would be wonderful. I was thinking of a weekend in Feb. I will get back when I confirm something up. Surf&Sand is over 435 a night, yikes. Will have to keep looking.

Well, they have to have SOME time to clean the rooms. Generally you can check in earlier than the tie listed - depending on how early people have actually checked out.

The hours shown are usually held to if you have a resort with a lot of people coming and going at the same times.

I don't remember EVER reading anything that ever implied that a guest was paying for a 24 hour rental. Hotel rates are "nightly".

11 am/4 pm are pretty standard, Canada, the US, Europe (from what little I've seen). Noon is generous. I agree that 10 am is pushing it just a bit.

If you don't like the check-in/out times, prices etc., don't stay there. In the free market, the seller tells you what their terms are for offering their product; it's your choice to be their customer, or not.

I've learned that there's just no point obsessing over it.

I'd be so thrilled with Noon check-out time, I wouldn't be bothered by a 4PM check-in time.

If you arrive ahead of check-in time, you can always check your bags and go exploring.

Early check-out times are far more problematic (to me, anyway). And, Noon is not exactly "a bit after breakfast". I no longer book hotels with 10AM check-out time, and carefully consider those with 11AM, because I don't care to cut short my last evening at a destination to pack or ensure that I get up on time to get out.

Nowadays, where you can check out on the TV, and/or do not have to turn in your keys, and there is an invoice for your stay under the door, you don't have to rush out at check-in time, so long as you don't leave and try to re-enter your room (as many "keys" are now programmed to expire).

Even so, we stayed at a privately owned place on Lake Winnipesaukee in NH with a 10AM check-out time. In fact, we've stayed there every year for 20 years. A few years ago, the owner came pounding on our door at precisely 10AM declaring that he needed the "maids done on time". We've haven't returned.

If you're that fussy about times, you'll just have to try to find and book places with better ones.

Let me know your dates when you decide. Wow-that's a high rate. I stayed at The Tides Inn once. Very cute and good rate. It's not on the beach but across the street although you can see the ocean easily from the second floor. It's not right in town but you can walk to some restaurants.

The people who stomp their feet when they show up at 3pm and their room isn't ready are the same people who pick up the phone at 11:45am and ask if they can have a late checkout.

And they wonder why their room wasn't cleaned more thoroughly..."I found one hair under the bed !!!!"

Well DH and I do alot of traveling and always stay in various hotels/motels. The normal checkin has always been 4, with afew 3. Checkout is always 11 and rarely as late as noon. And on the few occasions that we arrived early, they always let us checkin. Never had a bad room because of it. The only time I had problems was in Phoenix. I had called ahead, got the name of the person to whom I talked to, thank goodness. Because when we arrived, and they told us we had a four hour wait, I said "well I call and talked to --- and she told me I would have no problems." Well they did not like it, but we got a nice room.

Usually check out times are 11am or 12 pm i guess it depends on the hotel policy but not sure with the check in times i think u can check in any time as long as they have rooms available

In my experience, 3:00 pm or 4:00 pm is standard for check-in.
11:00am used to be the standard check-out time, but I have seen it as late as noon. However, my friends and I rent a condo in Florida every year and check out is 9:00 a.m., even during the low season.